Retirement
by DarkestWolfx
Summary: Could you ever retire after such a life well lived? It's not so easy to step out of the shoes as it is thought. Some part of that past never leaves you because for so long it was your life. Companion piece to 'Colony' (S2E5).


Just one of the two companion pieces I wanted to write for _'Colony'_ as I managed to get some time. I'll go back and write companions to some of the other series two episodes too as well as hopefully being able to get some more works up soon.

I wanted to try this from a different point of view as we were sort of given one. Enjoy.

* * *

 _"Still no sign of him."_

 _"Your target does have a history of being hard to reach."_

Still, she found him, quite by accident really. Though wasn't that the way anyone found him?

* * *

He did remember her face. He had the spark ignited by the uniform. International Rescue. Though why the Tracy's would be looking for him he had no clue. There was no news they could bring him about Jeff, nothing they could tell him that he didn't already know. Other than their names once more maybe. He was trying to fish his mind for hers.

 _"Tina… Tanni…"_

 _"It's Kayo."_

Well, it was relatively close enough. He was sure her name began with a T.

Whether she was displeased at having to come out his far, search so hard or simply concerned for his own health, she remarked on his retirement choice. Snowy mountains had always been a second favourite to space. Skiing could be quite fun too. Sitting warm and cosy on a sofa with your feet up was unbearable.

 _"Just trying to keep busy now that I'm back on Earth. Taking it easy's never been my style."_

It did interest him. It interested him a whole lot: the distance of Earth to Mars. He'd jump for the chance – if he wasn't precariously climbing a freezing slope of course – forget retirement. It wasn't worth it. Maybe it never really was though it has seemed the only choice when he was forced to come down from the moon.

* * *

Tracy Island was comfortable and probably the only place on Earth he could ever consider calling home, though residence might fit it better. Home had been miles away upon the surface of the moon. Home had been lost, gone up in pieces. Being here did remind him of that, though also of why he was alive.

 _"…would be the first to actually live on the planet."_

 _"Unless you count all the aliens."_

 _"Ignore him."_

He could remember something similar to that being said before, something Jeff had said about questions he may be asked. The answer wasn't the intriguing one people wanted to hear. This proton storm was though…

 _"…plus you're the second person in history that ever stepped foot on Mars."_ He was thankful Virgil reminded him of that though part of him thought he'd got the name wrong.

 _"Just behind the great Jeff Tracy himself. Now those were the days."_ And they were. Playing second didn't matter in the presence of the Tracy patriarch and he was more than happy too. Jeff was the one name he never got wrong. The days of space travel had been worth ten of those he'd recently spent on Earth trying (and failing) to find the thrill and adventure that matched. No, there was nothing on Earth left for him now, nothing that could compare to the life he'd lived. There wasn't even Jeff.

 _"As you boys say 'Thunderbirds Are Off!"_ Hmm… maybe he was the one who was off. _"Thunderbirds Have Left the Building."_ No… still not quite right. _"Thunderbirds Are…"_

He was thinking. He'd get there.

 _"Go?"_

 _"That's the one."_ Yes, Gordon had it in one go.

* * *

He'd seen Thunderbird Three before, though not quite like this. The experience was different entirely, the elation he felt from lift off was incredible to have revived, his eyes darting around as the skyline faded away to the starlit belt.

 _"That never gets old."_ It didn't, though he knew he did every day and that was exactly what retirement made him feel. Age. He would account his bad memory for names to it, though that had always been a plague he could hardly lie off.

John- or was that one Scott?- was looking quite bored as… he was the youngest anyhow, rambled off about aliens before throwing out a question. He knew he'd have to say it at some point from the moment the A-word was spoken, but despite the time he'd had to think it over, it didn't make it easier to crush dreams, especially when these were Jeff's son who clearly loved space and followed in their father's footsteps. The other was the one who lived there a lot like he had… Jerry maybe?

 _"I hate to break it to ya' kid, but… nothing was there when Jeff and I explored the surface."_

The excitement in the eldest brother's face had returned as soon as they passed the great giant of a planet. He recounted part of their previous journey, the arduous travel in which months passed to the point he began to wonder if they would ever make it. And Jeff was, well Jess, 'never give up' he'd started, rolling on some speech for a while before the red planet came hovering into view through the darkness. To this day Captain Taylor still didn't know how Tracy had timed it so perfectly.

 _"But you still made it. You and Dad were the first team to ever land there."_ The admiration. It made him wish there was someone in his life still who would look at him like that. Maybe that was another reason he couldn't settle down. He didn't have the network Jeff did. Though he hardly thought Jeff's 'retirement' plans could actually count. Maybe this was what he was searching for then… maybe his retirement really couldn't be as clear cut either.

Despite Jeff's perfect timing in words, the unexplored had been against them. It was a tale he like to recount, though he only had the confines of his own mind to talk to. He decided the boys should know another of Jeff's great sayings.

 _"Humanity never got anywhere taking it easy."_ Jeff Tracy really did have a way with words. _"I've always remembered that. Gordon here should take it to heart."_

Of course the name would be wrong despite the matching hair colours. The youngest, the space pilot was Alan. Mental note made. He thought he'd had it though… maybe the chart was worth another last minute look to revise the name for the other brother in tow.

 _"Will do, Virgil."_ And off he went, the vague echo of another name following him. Was the brunette not Virgil? Oh well, he'd have to give the mission priority.

 _"FAD- I mean B."_ He hadn't been able to find what it meant anywhere. He could try stringing words together though they never gave coherent meaning. He'd have to inquire when this was all over.

Right now though the feeling of floating was better than anything. There was no gravity and he was quite happy to live without it. Who needed gravity anyway? Surely this was a much better way of life? It seems Paul agreed with him, the excited little boy following his mother, desperate to see Mars. So he wasn't used to this rescue lark, but when there were children involved, surely it was easier to involve them in order to keep calm.

Finding the control room hadn't been that hard either. He wasn't completely new to this.

She knew him by name so Scott must have passed that one over from his Thunderbird station, the resident home in orbit. He briefly mulled over whether he should find an orbital retirement home, but kept his focus on the mission.

 _"Let's try shaking things up a bit."_

That's exactly what he always did. Jeff could think of the wise ideas, Jeff could throw out the relevant words however he had been the one to think of the crazy things, the 'let's chance this though it's insane' mentality. They'd both remained standing so evidently it hadn't always been the bad decision.

 _"We just brought back communications."_

He was glad it had been the approach to work now, the little spaceman asking whether they were still going to Mars. It reminded him of how desperate he had been to get there. The actual arrival was a different feeling entirely. He wasn't always the logical man, but now there was a time to be. They needed working engines to get to Mars safely.

Jeff's boys couldn't do everything whatever hero complex's they'd inherited.

Though the conviction, the hand grasping his arm as though it was the last remaining lifeline, the poignant truth of a strangers words… _"…to have everything we've worked for suddenly lost would be devastating."_

All of it was something he knew, something he really understood quite a lot about. It almost made his heart ache.

 _"I know something about that myself."_

It was risky to try and the conformation of a problem just complicated things although he didn't feel International Rescue could just leave this alone.

 _"I'm almost done here. You gotta' do something."_

 _"Here goes something."_

It didn't seem like a sure reply, the slight waver of thought enough to indicate the uncertainty as to what they would do, but it was clear they meant to try and trying was always better than giving in.

 _"Bingo!"_ He remembered driving Jeff insane with the regular pass the time game. _"Controls are back online."_ Success still felt good, the rush was incredible even though the situation was tense.

Crashing into the asteroid was bumpy and far from planned, though both luckily and unluckily the only thing lost were the landing pods but it sent them spinning, tumbling and turning into the dark edges of space.

 _"I can't keep this up Captain."_ He understood it wasn't fair to put so much pressure on one so young, that it wasn't right for the burden to rest on his shoulders alone. There was only so much one man – boy, rather – could do. The ride was unsettled (saying the least) and the struggle to reach the controls was arduous, only succeeding because… oh, forget the names, one of the five brothers pulverised the upcoming asteroid.

Captain Travers had resumed talking to her son. It was touching really. It served to further remind him of that father son relation he never explored. Maybe Jeff was right. Maybe he should have settled _down_ , as in as far down as one could get.

 _"Sorry to spoil the mood, but the landing module's gone and I'm reading heavy damage to your oxygen tanks."_ He still felt like the bad guy.

 _"So that's it then. Our mission is over."_ With just those words she went from elated to defeated.

 _"Not unless you say it is."_ The words that followed weren't completely processed yet they sounded like something Jeff might say: raw and true. _"I thought the worst when my base was destroyed but it's never too late to start again."_ Maybe that was what this could be called. Starting again.

The dark haired eldest gave out the orders and problems.

The light haired youngest gave the wise, unconsidered suggestions.

In a way they were funny opposites paired together because they worked. Now who did that remind him of?

 _"A slim chance is better than none."_

 _"I second that."_ And he really did. He'd rather die up here like this if that was so. There really was nothing for him on Earth. _"I've had it to here with asteroids."_

And that was true too. They were certainly not his favourite thing about space and he felt sour they ever had been. In fairness, he was five at the time.

The whole journey was risky but this was new. The Captain left him the wheel, a feeling he'd missed for so long though nothing was forgotten. All needed knowledge flooded back with just one touch as they began their sharp one eighty turn. Scott arrived by voice first and he noted the other had improved his balance with the lack of gravity, concern ultimately taking control, a concern he'd only ever heard from one other.

 _"It's like dad said. Humanity never got anywhere taking it easy."_

 _"Right you are kid. Spoken like a true Tracy."_ He supposed he never really thought quite how much those words might mean until he heard the following breath. For this family exactly that was everything.

Red was a good colour for a rocket because right now that was all there was. The journey was bumpy, the speed too quick and the outlook dire.

 _"Going down."_

 _"But not out."_

He severely hoped that would be true for the sakes of them all though usually as the saying goes, _'down but not out'_ was in reference to far less life risking scenarios. They weren't slowing down enough even with the counter thrusters. It just wouldn't be enough. Though the additional help might. He didn't remember the grapple things from last time though, one of Brian's new additions he theorised, either way it was useful.

And so they landed.

 _'So, we've landed.'_ It was such a similar echo to the dust storm. _'Shall we take a walk?'_

The blonde made a very good pilot. The same pilot who had just saved their skin. It was a dangerous world the unknown territory of space yet will, bravery and a touch of fear never hurt anyone. The determination fired in those eyes was definitely the reason they had yet to burn up into pieces.

 _"Thunderbird Three to Hellius. Come in Hellius. Scott? Captain Taylor? Does anyone read me?"_

 _"Loud and clear, Alan."_

 _"Captain! You're alive! And you got my name right."_ He hadn't even thought about it, he worked off memory as best he could to match the red spacecraft and young pilot. Alan had sounded like the right match to the personality he was seeing. There was also the helpful correlation now: the red planet and the red pilot. He couldn't help smiling anyhow. Yes, Alan's name he would now remember for life even if he made a hash of the others.

Paul answered the radio. He seemed very much like a young boy desperate to grow up in the world of space, to be a Captain like his mother and pilot a ship of his own. That he could also relate to. Toy rockets just never did the real things justice.

 _"Welcome to mars."_

More like welcome back.

Encased was a sole footprint. The print of Jeff Tracy. A longstanding reminder of his travels and friendship. Of a man long lost. The shadow he cast over it just hung, hollowed and empty.

 _They did. The boys did it Jeff. They followed you._

Alan and Scott followed him up. He was delighted to be able to show it to them.

 _"We've got a long ride home ahead of us."_

Yes, home.

 _"Actually Scott, if it's all the same to you, I think I'll stay awhile."_ So he lost the moon. Mars was where it all began. _"It's never too late to start again. I can't think of a better place than Mars to spend my golden years."_

He knew they'd agree. A month seemed fair too but…

 _"Make it two."_ They seemed happy enough with that as they made their way back to the grand rocket whilst he simply stood, basking in the light, looking down across the new home. This was a retirement home he could live with.

Though really, he never did retire.


End file.
